I, just last weekend, went to clean my rifle after 100 rounds of working it. Usually when I clean this target rifle I remove the brake as the brake really loads up with copper and carbon from use. No big deal. The barrel is easy to clean and doesn't indicate much copper and I assume this is due to the fact that it is a Krieger hand lapped barrel. What I found this time when I removed the brake when cleaning the rifle is that the crown had massive carbon deposti build up on it. This stluff was as hard as steel and required massive scrubbing with a stiff plastic brush and soaking with Hopps solvent to remove it. Actually I just went after the crown of the barrel today after soaking it for 2 days in Hopps solvent and the final chunks of carbon came off. I do sill have some scaling left on the crown whare the carbon chunks came off and am soaking for another day or two before I attack this ramaining carbon deposts.

This carbon build up on the crown is new to me but I have been told that it is common when using a muzzel brake and that there are cleaners used for just this purpose. Soaking for a coupel of days or so worked for me and I imagine the scaling will come off after soaking for another day or two.

I'm just passing this along for those that have muzzel brakes and that may have accuracy issues after a short while of shooting with these things. As you may or may not know crowns must have no build up or even micro scratches on them if you want good accuracy.

Hot Sauce NARC

09-09-2010 01:57 AM

you need to clean more often :D

I looked at mine and i see a space between the crown and the brake where i imagine carbon will build up like crazy.

And another note get yourself some Wipe Out products......patch out and the accelerator eat carbon better than anything Ive ever used on my savage.

cpttango30

09-09-2010 03:03 AM

See if you can't find some GM top End Engine Cleaner. I know a lot of benchrest guys that clean with gm top end engine cleaner. It is supposed to be the best carbon cleaner ever made.

Go to the local chevy dealership and ask for it at the parts counter. Red line Complete Fuel System Cleaner is a close second if you can't find the GM and you are near a Auto Zone or similar car parts store.

I want to say that a few years ago 2007 to be exact they changed the formula and the new one isn't as good.

I might pick up some of the redline stuff.

M14sRock

09-09-2010 04:24 AM

Kroil does an excellent job of lifting carbon off.
And the Slip2000 carbon remover is miraculous.

mrm14

09-09-2010 04:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hot Sauce NARC
(Post 347089)

you need to clean more often :D

I looked at mine and i see a space between the crown and the brake where i imagine carbon will build up like crazy.

And another note get yourself some Wipe Out products......patch out and the accelerator eat carbon better than anything Ive ever used on my savage.

Kinda' hard to do when your shooting 100 rounds in a non stop shooting spree. Actually it was carbon free the last time I cleaned it and that was before I put the last 100 rounds through it.

As this is the first rifle I have with a muzzel brake, I was worried that the crown may have been damaged and causing the carbon build up. Of course, I found the crown is in good shape once I got the carbon off. A few of the guys that I shoot with said this carbon build up on the crown, when using a brake, is normal. Although the Hopps #9 worked after a couple of days of soaking I will be getting one or more of the carbon cleaners mentioned in the above replies to my post.